Well, thatâ€™s a shame but frankly, itâ€™s their loss. My simple view is that if you donâ€™t vote, donâ€™t expect to be taken seriously when you voice an opinion. No vote, no real influence.

At lunchtime, my wife and I walked to our local polling station and voted. The ballot paper was huge â€“ like a concertina, leading to complaints by some political parties â€“ but simple enough to use â€“ just mark â€˜Xâ€™ against your choice of party.

The voting continues around the European Union until Sunday so weâ€™ll know the results by Monday.

So weâ€™ve done our bit for democracy today. I recorded some comments in an Audioboo which includes some thoughts regarding identity (no one asks you to prove who you are when you get to the polling station) and understanding what the different parties stand for in the EU.